It doesn't look real to me. The legs of the walker don't seem to be in the right place.

But not being real doesn't mean it doesn't express some kind of truth. And as such, is hilarious.

And yet, the (clearly ludicrous) $1.5T valuation isn't even a quarter of what the VOC was worth. He tries so hard to do something, but the best he can manage is a pale imitation.

There's no direct evidence that Elon Musk is descended from the VOC slave cabal, but it is possible.

In any case, his vision of SpaceX doesn't sound too far off of what the Dutch East India Company really was: a misanthropic, ruthless, piratical, human-trafficking company that acted like a country.

The other was the Dutch Cape Colony, which didn't last nearly as long under Dutch control as the Dutch East Indies. It changed hands a few times before becoming a British colony, and eventually joining with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa.

And when the Dutch East India Company went away, it didn't just dissolve or get snapped up by a bigger company or anything. No, they *became a country.*

Two, actually. Well, two colonies: One, the Dutch East Indies, (which today is Indonesia) lasted until the Japanese invaded in World War II.

At the height of its power, the Dutch East India Company had a Navy bigger than Great Britain's. I don't just mean they had more merchant ships; in addition to those, they had a private military, and the VOC Navy was bigger than the British Navy.

That outbreak killed many enslaved people, of course, but it also wiped out almost 90% of the indigenous Khoikhoi people, who were not enslaved (because the VOC was worried that they would find it too easy to escape).

And that's not even mentioning the rampant slavery. They would eventually traffic over 16,000 human beings to their colony on the Cape of Good Hope, including an early shipment of almost 200 enslaved children. There was an unsuccessful rebellion, and a few decades later a smallpox outbreak.

In theory, their business was spices: nutmeg, mace, cloves, etc. In reality, they operated as a cartel: they used their power to manipulate markets, drive up prices, and even entirely take over islands as plantations for their goods. One year, 50% of their earnings came from literal piracy.

Agreed, though personally I always struggle not to verbally add in an "...EVER" after Gonzo's "...who did NOT die!"

"Nobel" is an anagram for "noble"

CHECKMATE

It's not misleading. The NY Post and other outlets were making breathless predictions that the rich would flee NYC in droves this month (that is, before the swearing-in) if Mamdani got the job. This article is just saying, oops, actually the opposite is true

And the general term for it is "kitsch," of course

Is that a kitchon or a kitchoff?

As a Hoosier, this is a truly *bonkers* map. It's too bizarre to even be mad at. I'm just befuddled.